Changeling
by IAmAngelCat
Summary: Sakura was stolen as a child, but now she's escaped. She has come back to the world of humans to live a normal life, but what is she going to find there? AU M for lemons and mature content.
1. Prolouge

**Sorry for the long wait on things. I was on hiatus for a while because school got very busy after I lost most of my data… So here you are with a new story, which may or may not continue depending on reviews, so please review. **

Prologue : Changeling

The forest was dark when she finally left it, wisps of moonlight falling to the forest floor through the high trees. The dampness pressed in on her, a contrast with the previous brightness of the field, the sweet smell of the breeze now gone. She was going to miss the warmth, and yet she knew it was for the best. She would have died if she had stayed. This was her chance to break free and explore the world she had been robbed of. Mossy eyes stared at the figures among the trees. They flickered and shifted, snickering at her from afar but unable to touch. Gleaming teeth flashed in and out of view and she turned her back to them. No longer would she live in the world of darkness and desire. She would go to the humans. She would find out what she had missed. As she walked forward, out of the forest, a small stone fell from her hand into the dark dirt. It glittered through its bondage of rope. She let it go and moved on, not daring to look back lest her decision waver.

A while later, after she had disappeared from view, from the leafy kingdom, a figure walked up to the stone on the ground. Its long jointed fingers reached down to grasp it, bringing it up to its crimson lips. Bright yellow eyes looked after her, as if she could still be seen. Silently it nodded in acknowledgement to her gift and turned away. She should be free now.

**So that was the prologue, tell me what you think. I hope I didn't make it too obvious about what she was walking away from. Oh well, all in due time shall be revealed. ;)**


	2. 1 : And So It Begins

**Enjoy the first chapter!**

1 : And So We Begin

The shifting of lights were a sign for her to wake up and so her lashes fluttered open, expecting to find them hovering over her, fake smiles plastered on their inhuman faces. All she found was a blank ceiling, faint cracks running along the edges. The shifting light was wind moving the large limbs of the tree outside her window, the sun's rays escaping through the mucky glass as if playing a game. The girl shoved her body up into a sitting position on her mattress, one hand coming up to rub the heel into her sleepy eyes. Slowly, she got out from under the thin sheet of a blanket and padded over to the tiny bathroom. Flicking on the lights, she examined herself carefully, not wanting to go to her first day of college looking like a mess. Her pink hair was ruffled in every which direction, making a halo around her oval face. Her skin was clean and she looked at her teeth. Not sparkly white, but clean enough not to be diseased. She tugged at the oversized t-shirt she used to sleep in and looked down at her dirty toes, wiggling them. A smile graced her face quickly and she torn off her clothes and hopped into the bathtub, turned on the overhead shower and washed up.

The water was cool against her skin. She had never been used to hot water, it seemed unnatural to her. Her toothbrush lay on a pedestal to the right, paste sitting patiently next to it. Shampoo and conditioner sat on another along with the soap. A blue loafer hung from a hook on the tiled wall. Her "mother" had taught her of all these things when she had come back. She had used a kind of soap, though never applied it to herself in her life. The image of a tall woman with long white hair and thick black lashes flashed before her. The woman's dark eyes were oddly large, lips full and thin all at once. Her skin was a snow white, glowing faintly even in the sun, and each of her fingers had an extra joint. She was lanky, limbs stretched far too much to be human, yet beautiful.

When she got out she pulled on a pair of jeans and a tank top and slung the bag she had prepared the night before over her shoulder. Sneakers squeaking on the floorboards as she picked her keys off the dresser and slammed shut the door to her little home, clicking the locks into place before trekking off to her first day of school; her first day to see what she could find out about these humans.

The class was loud, girls comparing their new book bags with each other and guys telling about their conquers over the female body during summer break. Giggles echoed and fist pumps were abundant as the professor walked in, his white hair accenting his mismatched eyes, one black the other red. To get their attention, he slammed his giant text book down on his desk, causing a few people in the front row to jump up in shock. All fell silent as the bell rang, signaling the start of class.

"My dear students, I hope you will let me introduce a new classmate to you who comes brings with her the new semester. Her name is Sakura Haruno and she has recently moved here from Hokkaido to live with family."

The man motioned towards the doors where Sakura was standing, eyeing the class with a calculating eye. When she looked up at the professor, he was looking at her expectantly and she realized she was supposed to move to the center of the room. She bowed to the throng of people staring at her, some with longing, some jealousy, but most with shameless curiosity. She turned her eyes back to her teacher then and he pointed to a seat in the back, the only one left open.

"You can settle over there in the back next to Uzumaki. Uzumaki please raise your hand so that Haruno can find her seat."

Sakura saw a boy raise a fine muscled arm, brushing lightly against his spiky blond hair, bright blue eyes watching her expectantly, full with excitement at the pretty new girl. Sakura just walked up the steps to the back of the coliseum-like classroom and placed her things on her desk, plopping down on the long bench. The silver-haired professor turned towards the large green chalk board and began writing down formulas for the class to memorize before the first test.

The boy called Uzumaki leaned over to her, his tan skin a nice compliment to the lightness of his hair and eyes.

"Hey, the name's Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you bench-mate," he grinned widely at her as he raised a hand for her to shake. She looked at it for a moment, trying to understand what it meant and then took in with her own, gripping tightly to show confidence. Sakura's lips pulled up in a sweet smile back at him.

"Nice to meet you Uzumaki."

"Please, call me Naruto." His hand squeezed hers slightly. He was still holding on.

"Alright Naruto. Could you let go of my hand now? I need to write down these notes before the teacher erases them."

Her hand slipped from his at the comment and she began to quickly copy down the words on the board in her notebook, pencil moving swiftly across the paper. Naruto was kind enough not to disturb her further until class was over. When it was however, he took hold of her wrist as she was about to get up and leave, looking up into her face with a friendly expression.

"Hey, I was wondering if you would wanna have lunch with me and my friends at noon. Since you're new and all, I thought you'd like to get to know some people."

Her wrist free, Sakura replied sweetly, "Thanks. I'd love to have lunch with you guys. Where should I meet you?"

"How about the front steps at around 11:30? I'll introduce you to everybody."

"Sounds great. Well, see you then, I gotta get to Cardiology."

She quickly waved goodbye and hurried off, happy to have plans later. It was exciting, this social relations business.

The bell had rung and Sakura walked quickly out of her classroom. She still had half an hour to meet Naruto at the front and she wanted to see a bit more of the school before she did. Nearly skipping away, she rounded a corner to a hallway she had never before had to enter. The high vaulting ceiling was a little intimidating to her. The beautifully carved designs in the stone mesmerized her as she took step by step forward, not paying attention to anything in front of her. The sun shone in, casting a golden glow about the place, walls sparkling with fragments of crystalline rock mixed in with the walls. It was magical and it reminded her of where she had grown up. She could see them loving this place; no metal nor steel, a city built of stone from the core out. The architecture was similar to that of the old gothic cathedrals in Europe, though the university was hardly older than a few decades. Long slit windows flew high above, the textured glass making shades of light dance around her on the floor and walls.

Sakura smiled as she thought of the wonder of the human world. It was all done by hand. No magic used to mask a broken building with the image of a fine one. It was real. It was there. Should she touch it, it would not crumble away nor feel different from what it should. This was a place they had not entered and she was thankful for that. It would be much different if they had. She closed her eyes as she continued down the corridor, lungs breathing in the scent of coming fall deeply. Real season; the never ending summer was gone from her world.

She began humming their music quietly, letting the elegant notes fall into place as they echoed around her.

She hit something hard then and stumbled back, eyes snapping open and hands flying out to keep her balance. Looking up she saw a tall man, at least a head taller than her, staring down with coal dark eyes. His skin was pale as winter, hair black as a ravens. It spiked up slightly in the back ends. What she had thought was a wall had actually been his lean chest, covered with a black shirt. He raised an eyebrow at her and she gasped. He was beautiful. She stepped back.

"Watch where you're going." His voice was silky and deep. She did not trust it. He kept watching her, annoyed slightly by her strange behavior. She had inched away a little more from him. This was new. She looked disgusted.

"I'll be sure to do that next time. Sorry for walking into you," Sakura replied shakily. Her hands gripped the strap of her bag tightly, knuckles whitening from the exertion. He simply looked at her and stepped forward. She winced involuntarily, fear and courage fighting for control inside her.

"Calm down," he said as he brushed past her, leaving her there to stare at empty space.

A few minutes passed and thoughts began racing through her mind. _What if he's one of them? What if they've come to get me? _She shook her head furiously. They couldn't have. _How would they even know where I am? I got away once already and I'll be damned if they got me again. _Sakura straightened her back and looked over her shoulder at the direction he had walked away. She saw nothing. Glancing at her watch, her eyes widened.

"Shit! I'm gonna be late!" And with that she ran down the halls and to the front steps in a blur of pink.


End file.
